Self-retaining pump type shoe



Dec. 25, 1956 R. APTEKER SELF-RETAINING PUMP TYPE SHOE Filed Aug. 24,1955 INVENTOR APTEKER Ruam BY 2% United States. Patent 2,775,049SEIIF-RETANING SHOE Rubin-Apteker, -villi1' rarkgnii," assignor toSears, Roebuck and C0,, Chicago,-Ill.-, a.corporation of New YorkApplicatioir Augl'lst z i 1953;' seriiil Noi 37 5,974

' a common problem for the wearer is to have a shoe which will fitsnugly enough to remain on the foot in the ordinary movements incidentto walking, climbing or descending stairs, etc., while at the same timenot being tight enough to produce discomfort. This is a serious problemand, hence, it is not uncommon for women to purchase shoes which, whilelarge enough to be comfortable, will readily slip off the foot, to theembarrassment of the wearer.

I have conceived of a pump type shoe construction which snugly fits thefoot, while at the same time not being excessively tight. Thisarrangement contemplates a resilient construction within the heelinclosing portion which will yield when the wearers foot is inserted inthe shoe and will then cling snugly to the foot around the heel thereof,so as to prevent inadvertent slipping of the heel out of the shoe.

Briefly considered, my invention embodies a thin strip or sheet ofresilient material such as sponge rubber or the like inserted inwardlyof the counter and forepart. A satisfactory construction which I haveevolved embodies a relatively thin piece of sponge or foam rubberinserted between the outer layer of the upper material and the lining.Such a strip may extend for any desired distance around the heelinclosing portion of the shoe and may include the entire quarter orforepart.

As an additional feature of my invention I preferably use as a liningcovering the resilient strip above referred to a quilted material suchas of soft leather, fabric, etc., which provides additional resilienceenhancing the gripping action on the wearers heel while at the same timefacilitating insertion and withdrawal of the foot into the shoe.

In other embodiments of my invention, I contemplate employing thecombination of resilient material, such as a thin sheet of foam orsponge rubber, between the outer material of the shoe, such as leather,imitation leather, textile fabric, etc., and the lining at restrictedareas of the shoe. Such lining is preferably of the aforementionedquilted material in such restricted areas of the shoe. Such an area maybe, for example, the entire forepart of the shoe, to ease the pain ofbunions, corns, hammer toes or other skin or bone deformities of thefoot. Aside from providing added comfort to the wearer in such cases, myinvention permits the wearing of shoes which are not radically shaped,calling attention to the wearers aflliction.

Other advantages incident to my invention will become apparent as thedescription proceeds.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification andillustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention,

2,775,049 Patented 11cc. 25, 1956 Fig-f1 is a perspectivewiew ofa ladies"pum iIIu'S the line 3+2, of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a sectional viewtaken "subs'tantially 'along'- Fig. '5isa'fragmentarysectional"view"-on an enlarged scale of a therear'quarter' portion of "the pump.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, my invention is applied to aladies pump indicated generally'jby-the numeral10=comprisin'gasole*portion' 12, aheel 13 and an upper portion-15.

Insertedfin tli'eheel inclosingportion'or quarter of the upper is theusual counter 18, an outer sheet 19 of leather'or fabric being provided,and disposed between said counter andthelihing is a relatively'thinsheet20 of sponge-rubber or fdamrubber or other suitable resilient material,as seen best in Fig. 5. Said resilient strip 20 may extend merely forthe curved rear end of the quarter or may be substantially co-extensivewith the counter 18, as desired.

Although I may employ the usual type of leather or fabric lining inconjunction with the resilient strip 20, in its preferred embodiment myinvention contemplates a lining 2323' of soft quilted textile materialsuch as of cotton or synthetic fibre, soft leather or the like, whichwill have a puffed resilient character which readily yields on pressureof the foot and quickly springs back to shape when pressure is relieved.As well understood in the art, such quilted material comprises sheets2323 secured in puffed relation by criss-cross stitching 24. Suchquilted lining may be restricted to the area of the resilient sheet 20or may extend throughout the shoe, and may be of straight stitching orotherwise.

A heel pad 25 of foam or sponge rubber or the like may be inserted underthe heel portion of the foot directly beneath sock liner 27.

As another embodiment of my invention, I may provide a thin pad ofsponge rubber or the like, preferably covered with a quilted lining asabove described, in the forepart of a shoe alone or in combination withsuch an arrangement in the heel inclosing portion.

It will be seen that my invention accomplishes a number of highlydesirable purposes. When used in the rear or quarter portion of theshoe, my invention will prevent the common-place slipping of the shoe upand down on the foot as the wearer walks and even inadvertent steppingout of the shoe in some cases, and consequently will reduce wear on thestockings. It eliminates the necessity of wearing shoes that are tootight, resulting in painful pressure on all portions of the foot.

Ventilation of the foot in walking is facilitated by my invention, airbeing pumped in and out of the shoe with each step and flowing throughthe channels of the quilting, adding greatly to the comfort of thewearer' As additional comfort features, use of my invention in the heelinclosing or quarter portion of the shoe eliminates the usual cutting ofthe upper into the wearers foot adjacent the instep or other portions ofthe foot, which is commonplace in the wearing of pumps; furthermore, asused in connection with a strapless shoe or sandal, my invention reducesthe usual pressure under the strap.

It is well known that the foot of a normal person usually swells in thewarm weather and after exercise, and under such circumstances thewearers shoe may become unbearably tight and cut into the foot. Where myinvention is applied, however, such discomfort is greatly reduced oreliminated because of the yielding fit as the foot swells. l

a "fragmentary longitudinal section of the In another embodiment of myinvention, a combina tion of sponge rubber, foam rubber or the liketogether with a quilted lining may be used throughout the entire upperportion of the shoe and employed in shoes of various types for men,women and children. Such a shoe is especially desirable for itsinsulating properties against heat and cold and may be utilized in amans work shoe or boot for camping and general outdoor wear.

Various other embodiments and advantages may suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.Hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown anddescribed herein or uses mentioned, but intend the scope of my inventionto be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A low-cut pump type shoe comprising a sole and an upper, said uppercomprising an outer sheet and a lining therefor, and an insert betweensaid outer sheet and said lining of the upper, said insert comprising alayer of resilient material of the character of sponge rubber, saidinsert being disposed at least in the quarter portion of said shoe, andsaid lining adjacent said insert being formed of quilted material,whereby said shoe will snugly fit the wearers foot without the necessityfor fastening means.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said shoe is providedwith a counter in the quarter portion and said insert is disposedbetween the counter and the lining and is substantially co-extensivewith said counter. 3. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein saidshoe is also provided with an insert in the forepart of the shoesubstantially similar in character to the insert in the quarter portion,a quilted lining also being provided over said forepart insert for therelief of foot deformities.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

